Lucknow, Nov 3 Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday urged farmers to avoid unnecessary use of pesticides and excessive application of chemical fertilisers, warning that such practices were damaging soil health and destroying beneficial organisms, including earthworms.
Addressing farmers at the ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ programme organised at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research (ICAR-ISRI) here, Chouhan said increasing agricultural production was important but protecting the health of farmland was equally necessary.
“Production is increasing, there is no doubt about it. But there is also a concern that the health of the soil is gradually deteriorating. What is the reason? In the desire to increase production, we have been using fertilisers indiscriminately,” he said.
He said excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides was killing beneficial organisms in the soil, while also increasing cultivation costs for farmers.
Recalling how earthworms were commonly seen during the rainy season in earlier times, Chouhan said their numbers had declined because of excessive use of agricultural chemicals.
“In the old days, when it rained, earthworms would come out and even enter houses in villages. Do you see earthworms in fields now? By repeatedly applying pesticides and fertilisers, we have finished off these earthworms,” he said.
Describing earthworms as the soil’s greatest friends, he explained that they burrow deep into the earth, loosen the soil and create channels that allow oxygen to enter.
“These earthworms go 40-50 feet below the earth and then come up again. They make the soil porous and create holes so that sufficient oxygen can enter,” he said.
Warning against the long-term consequences of excessive chemical use, Chouhan said indiscriminate application of fertilisers could make farmland barren and deprive future generations of productive soil.
He urged farmers to apply fertilisers only in quantities required by their fields and adopt balanced nutrient management.
“What is the benefit of applying fertilisers unnecessarily? Several experiments have shown that if one bag of fertiliser produces a certain amount of crop, applying two bags does not necessarily increase production,” he said.
Chouhan also encouraged farmers to experiment with natural farming on a portion of their land rather than shifting their entire holdings at once.
“If you have five bighas of land, try natural farming on one bigha,” he said, referring to practices such as Jeevamrit and Beejamrit.
He said natural farming, when undertaken properly, could maintain production while improving soil health and potentially increasing yields over time.
The minister also called for crop rotation, particularly the inclusion of pulses, saying they helped fix nitrogen in the soil and improve its health.
Advocating integrated farming, he urged farmers to diversify into vegetables, fruits, beekeeping, animal husbandry and fisheries instead of depending on a single crop.
He also highlighted the importance of green manure, particularly dhaincha, along with cow dung and cow urine, in improving soil fertility.
Chouhan said the Centre’s ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ aimed to ensure that agricultural land remained productive for future generations.
He further urged farmers to consider biological pesticides and agricultural mechanisation as part of efforts to reduce chemical dependence and improve farm productivity.
(PTI News)
